Talking-machine attachment.



G. I. LAMB.

TALKING MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1914.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

q/vi Mwooeo G. I. LAMB.

TALKING MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED PEBJI, 1914.

1,130,910. A Patented M21119, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES IRA LAMB, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

TALIflNG-MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Application filed February 11, 1914. Serial No. 818,071.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES IRA LAMB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Talking-Machine Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to repeating attachments for graphophones or other sound reproducing mechanism but particularly for disk graphophones; and it has for its primary object the provision of mechanism which will effect an automatic return of the sound box to the starting end of the record after the playing of the record.

Another object of the invention is the provision of repeating mechanism for graphophones having feeding mechanism receiving its power from the spindle of the revolving platform or table of the machine and arranged withsuchrelation to the sound box that on a prescribed or predetermined position of the sound box on the record the sound box will be lifted above the record and then conveyed back to its starting point.

Another object of the invention is the provision of repeating mechanism having means therein for cushioning the movement of the sound box against the record during the period of the movement of the sound box off of the feeding mechanism.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a needle holder constructed so as to accommodate a plurality of needles and to hold such needles whereby they may be singly advanced against the record successtarting point of the record.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of'repeating mechanism which may be readily connected with any well known form of disk machine without necessitating material alterations in the construction thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of feeding mechanism which will be adjustable above the record so that it may be freely moved to an inactive position to permit of the application of the record to the revolving table or the removal of the same therefrom as the occasion may require. With these and other objects in'view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofparts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 1s a top plan view of the repeating mechanism, showing the application thereof to a graphophone;- Fig. 2 is a side view of the sound box, showing its position with relation to the returning means during the movement of the sound box toward the end of the record, parts being shown in section Fig. 3 is asimilar view, looking toward the reverse side of the sound box; Fig. :l: is a vertical section through the spindle of the revolving table, showing the driven means for transmitting motion to the feeding means of the repeating mechanism; Fig. 5 is a section through the needle holder; Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the traveling arm; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the actuating arm of the needle holder.

lVhile it is to be understood that the repeating mechanism is broadly designed for use upon various well known forms of sound reproducing means or cont-rivances, it will be described in connection with a disk tall ing machine such as the one shown conventionally at 1 in Fig. 1. This machine is of a type employing a motor driven vertical spindle 2, on which is mounted a table or platform 3 for supporting the usual record tablet or disk 4:, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The said spindle is extended through the usual central aperture of the tablet or record, and it is provided with a vertical socket having singularly-disposed walls for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. The graphophone is provided with a bracket 6, on which the usual sound tube 7 is mounted for horizontal swinging movements. This tube is provided with a vertically swinging branch 8, which carries a sound box 9.

The sound box is of a design which will support a plurality of record needles 10, and as shown a bracket 11 of the sound box is provided with a spindle 12, on. which a head '13 isadapted to revolve. This head is substantially of frusto-conical form and it is provided with a circular series of longitudinal grooves 14, which receive the upper ends of the needles 10. The needles are confined in the grooves by springs 16 or the like thereof. The head which supports the needles is provided with an annular series of substantially V-teeth 17 for'a purpose to be hereinafter explained. A spring 18 is secured to the sound box and the free end thereof bears against adjacent teeth of the revolving head 13 and under the action of the spring the head is ordinarily or normally held against revolving. In other Words, it is fixed so that one of the needles will be properly presented for engagement with the sound record. The bracket 11 is connected with the diaphragm 19 of the sound box by a stylus arm 20.

Extending at a tangent to the table or platform 3 and fixed to the body portion of the'graphophone is a horizontal support or bracket 21 having parallel vertical posts 22, '22 in which bearing screws 23, 23 are mounted and extended into the ends of a rocking shaft 24. The posts 22 are offset-at their upper ends at 25 and the offset portions are connected together by a relatively long arm 26 which forms a stop for a purpose to be presently explained. The rocking shaft 24 is provided with a long right angularly-extending branch 27 which overlies the revolving table or platform 3. The said branch terminates at a point adjacent to the axis of the platform and it is provided with an extension 28," in which a driven shaft 29 is mounted to freely revolve. This shaft carries a worm gear 30, which meshes with a similar gear 31 secured to a worm shaft 32. This shaft is mounted to freely revolve in the portions 24 and 28 of the rocking shaft, and the said worm shaft overlies the table or platform and it lies parallel to the portion 27 of the rocking shaft. The rocking shaft, worm shaft 32 and the intermeshing gears just mentioned constitute the parts of a feeding mechanism for returning the sound box to the starting end of the record after the sound box has been first moved to a predetermined position on the record.

The sound box is provided with an an gularly-disposed arm 33 pivotally mounted upon the box at 34. Mounted in the arm 33 respectively at opposite sides of the pivot 34 are set screws 35, 35 which may be adjusted singly so as to effect any desired tilting position of the arm and to thereby permit the worm engaging portion of the arm to be properly set with relation to the worm. The arm extends in a downward direction toward the worm and it is provided with a downwardly tilting lug 36 and a laterally or horizontally tilting lug 37 the former being hinged at 38 to the portion 39 of the arm, while the lug 37 is hinged at 40 to the portion 41 of the arm. A spring 42 is mounted between the lug 36 and the arm 33 and under the action of the said spring the lug 36 is properly maintained in one position. nder the action of a similar spring 43 carried by the arm 33 the lug 37 is maintained in a similar position. The portion 39 of the arm 33 has one of its sides extended at an angle, as at 44, to the adjacent upper edge of the lug 37, so that a substantially V-shaped space is formed between said upper edge of the lug and the adjacent edge 44 of the arm.

Through the arrangement of the parts now specifically referred to it is evident that through the swinging movement of the sound tube 7 the lug 36 will be constantly disposed in different relations to the worm 32. It is assumed that the sound box 9 is placed at the outer portion or starting portion of the record as in the usual operation of starting the sound. box over the record; The position of the worm 32 with relation to the arcuate travel of the sound box :is such that when the sound box is in this position, thefree end of the lug 36 will be disposed slightly beyond one side of the feed screw 32, and as a consequence thereof, the stylus of the sound box will rest upon the record. As the sound box 7 moves in the direction of the axis of the revolving table, the free end of the lug 36 moves beneath the screw, and While it does not engage the screw in the movement of the sound box in the direction of the axis of the turn table it is constantly disposed in such relation to the screw that it may be freely deposited onto the upper surface of the groove at a. predetermined time. Usually sound records are provided with one or two idle grooves near the center of therecord, and the worm screw has its last convolution extended slightly beyond suchidle groove and beyond said last convolution of the worm screw is a plate 45 having a longitudinal slot 46 which receives a set screw 47 upon the worm screw. The plate 45 is provided with an arm which is curved in the direction of the sound box, as at 48, and it is then reversely curved, as at 49, the latter portion being the effective actuating end which is designed to engage in the space between the surface 44 of the arm 33 and the adjacent upper edge of the swing ing lug 37. As soon as the sound box is moved on the record to a point where the actuating end 49 of the arm engages against the side of the lug 37, the latter is, upon further movement of thesound box, moved inwardly against the action of the springs 43 until the arm of the plate 46 has reached a position where the end 49 will engage the under surface of the portion 39 of the arm 33. As the screw 32 constantly revolves, it is evident that the arm 33 and sound box will be elevated, due to the end 49 engaging the rigid portion 39 of the arm 33. As

the arm is elevated through the action of the portion 49 of the arm secured to the plate 45, the lug 36 will yield in a downward direction so as to allow it to pass the worm 32. Immediately the lug 36 passes the Worm 32, the spring 42 restores it to hormal position so as to'engage the thread of the worm. The lug is then deposited upon the screw in such manner that the thread of the screw will serve to carry the sound box to the starting end of the record. During such operation of the returning mechanism the needles of the sound box ,will be spaced above the sound record. As the'sound box approaches the outer end of the screw the lug 36 has a tendency to escape from the screw and when the sound box reaches the starting end of the record, the lug 36 entirely escapes from the screw and the sound box falls into place upon the starting end of the record.

In order to cushion the movement of the stylus against the record, I provide the rocking shaft 2i with a spring 50, the free end of which is located directly in the path of movement of the sound box,.and it is adapted to directly receive the same and to resiliently permit the stylus to contact with the record.

In order that a fresh needle may be presented to the record on the return of the sound box to the starting end of the record, I provide the peculiarly formed needle holder actuating device 51, the latter consisting of a bracket 52 secured tothe rock shaft 24 and provided with a longitudinal slot 53 which receives a retaining device 56 on an adjustable portion 57 of the bracket. The portion 57 is provided with an oflset or depending free end 58, which is adapted to engage against the toothed surface of the needle holding head 13 and under the action of the feed screw. the head will be made to advance against the portion 58 of the actuating device and the head 13 will be revolved for a distance to properly present a new stylus to the record.

I claim: 1

1. In automatic stylus restoring mechanism, the combination of a support adapted to be mounted adj acentthe periphery of the turntable of a sound reproducing mechanism, a frame pivotally mounted thereon and adapted to overlie said table, a restoring worm carried by and rotatably mounted therein, a detachable connection at the free end of the frame adapted when in an operative position to make contact with the tumtable spindle, and transmission means between sald connection and said worm.

2. In automatic stylus restoring mechanism, the combination of a support adapted to be mounted adjacent the periphery of the turntable of a sound reproducing mechanism, a frame overlying the table, screws passing through said support and pivotally engaging said frame whereby the latter may move vertically in an arc of a circle, a restoring worm carried by and rotatably mounted in said frame, a detachable connection at the free end of the frame adapted when in an operative position to make oontact with the turntable spindle, and transmission means between said connection and said .worm. a

3. In a talking machine, the combination with the turntable and sound box thereof, means overlying the table and operating to restore the sound box to initial position from the inner end of a record, a needle holder on said sound box adapted to hold a plurality of needles and rotatable to advance successive needles to operative position, and means on said restoring means to advance saidholder to present a fresh needle in operative position at each restoration of the sound box to initial position.

4. In automatic stylus restoring mechanism, the combination of a support adapted to be mounted adjacent the periphery of the turntable of a sound reproducing mechanism, a U-shaped frame, screws passing through said support and pivotally engaging one limb of said frame, a restoring worm journaled in the parallel limbs of said U- shaped frame, a shaft having one extremity rotatably mounted in said frame and its remaining extremity adapted to be detachably connected to the spindle of the turntable, and transmission means between said shaft and worm.

5. In a talking machine, the combination withthe turntable and pivoted sound box thereof, a pivoted U-shaped frame overlying said table, a worm journaled in said frame, transmission means between said worm and the turntable spindle, an arm secured to said sound box, and a lug carried by said arm and adapted to be alternately positioned on opposite sides of said worm, said worm table.

6. In a talking machine, the combination with the turntable and pivoted sound box thereof, a pivoted U-shaped frame overlying said table, a worm journaled in said.

frame, transmission means between said worm and the turntable spindle, an arm secured to said sound box, and 2. lug resili-.

ently secured to said arm and limited in its travel in one d rect1on, s aid lug being adapt ed to be alternately positioned on opposite In testimony whereof I afiix my signature sides of said worm, said Worm being so in presence of two Witnesses.

arranged with relation to said sound box CHARLES IRA. LAMB; that said lugs, during the arcuate travel of Witnesses: a said sound box will leave said worm adja- CLARA B. H000,

cent the periphery of said turntable. 081E E. Dom). 

